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This morning, the Spanish athlete Tariku Novales has scored 42,195 km in over half a minute. How much do your shoes affect you?
The Valencia Marathon took place this morning and Spain’s Tariku Novales broke the previous Spanish record of 2:05:48, 37 seconds over the 42,195m distance. Siseh Lemma, the Ethiopian who won the test, reduced the race record by five seconds. And the footwear they both shared: the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 from Adidas, the same ones worn by Digit Assefa when she broke the women’s record for the distance. What’s so special about these sneakers?
We’ve had a pretty intense few months when it comes to athletic shoes. First news Kelvin Kipdam set a world record by completing the Chicago Marathon in two hours and 35 seconds. Close to the two-hour threshold. On that occasion Kipdam wore the Nike Dev 163, a prototype version of the Nike Alphafly 3. Like Sifan Hasan who won the women’s category. Now adidas responds to Nike with the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1.
The first thing to note about Adidas shoes is their weight: just 138 grams, half of the Alphafly (220 grams). And this is not a small detail. Accordingly A scientific studyFor 10km races, add 100g to the shoes Reduces performance by about 10%. Obviously, the ratio in Marathon is not multiplied by 4, but it helps to give us an idea. Add to that even marathon runners lose out 8% of your body weight Only in liquid, if we want to go below two hours, it is necessary to limit the clothing to a minimum.
But not just weight. To that we need to add Energyrods and Lightstrike technology. The profile of this model is very serious, and therefore its price (and its goal: more competition): They cost around 500 euros. They are not ready for walking, but naturally propel the legs forward, thanks to their inclination which improves speed and economy at the same time. In short: the design of the shoe cooperates with the natural movement of the foot during running.
Energyrods (basically energy bars) are the German manufacturer’s answer to the carbon rods that most brands use and act as springs. They are designed for this purpose only Mirrors of the metatarsal bones of an athlete’s foot. There are five carbon rods to create an even more anatomical change to the shoe’s profile. They also provide the necessary stability for landing.
“They are 5 to 6 mm thick and cover the surface from the toe to the midfoot – explains Nicolas Roche, one of the people responsible for creating these shoes -. Each shaft aims to adapt to the foot as it hits it. The aim is to provide dynamic flexibility and increased foot stiffness for a responsive feel. Ultimately, it is Activates large muscles (gastrocnemius and gluteus maximus), with the goal of allowing runners to expend less energy with better results.” It’s not about adjusting the way you run, it’s about using larger muscle groups to reduce fatigue.
For its part, the LightStrike Pro midsole is built so it doesn’t matter which foot you land on first: the energy return is the same on take-off. Even the foam it is composed of Allows for quick recovery after exertion…if we reuse them. One of the headlines that came with these shoes was that they were only suitable for a competition, and they wouldn’t last more than 50km, while the competition (the aforementioned Alphafly 3) has been tested to last at least 300km. Are they worth buying? If we’re elite athletes or don’t have money problems and run sub 2:30 marathons, no. But… if we take into account that an F1 tire costs around 700 euros and has a shorter useful life than a 40 km race, the answer is obvious: both are intended for more competition. The good thing is that, just like in F1, innovations in footwear technology reach the record breakers first, then the general public.
